The law firm of Chief Afe Babalola yesterday told a
Lagos High Court in Ikeja that it never received
payments from alleged fraud kingpin, Fred Ajudua, to
represent a former chief of army staff, Lt.-Gen.
Ishaya Bamaiyi in court.
A representative of the firm, who is also a managing
partner, Adebayo Adenipekun (SAN), made this
disclosure while testifying at the ongoing trial of a
court registrar, Oluronke Rosolu.
Rosolu was arraigned before the court by the
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission ( EFCC ) on a
two-count charge of conspiracy to obtain money by
false pretenses and obtaining money by false
pretences.
The EFCC had specifically alleged that Rosulu aided
Ajudua to defraud Bamaiyi of the sum of $8.4 million
under the false pretence that it was a part payment
for the professional fees charged by Chief Afe
Babalola (SAN) to handle his case, while both of them
were being remanded at Kirikiri Maximum Prison
between November 2004 and June 2005.
Adenipekun, who was a prosecution witness in the
case, said “Ajudua did not brief our firm to represent
Bamaiyi at any time. That is not correct. We did not
receive any legal fee from Ajudua in respect of the
General.”
The lawyer also while being led in evidence by the EFCC
counsel, Seidu Atteh, said he was the chamber’s head
of administration during the period of the said
transaction and that there is no record of it.
He stated, “We were never briefed to represent
Bamaiyi and we did not receive any money from
Ajudua,” Adenipekun maintained.
Following his brief testimony, the court adjourned the
matter till May 13 for continuation of trial.
It would be recalled that Bamaiyi had alleged that
Rosulu, a former registrar to Justice Joseph Oyewole,
collected $330,000 from him on behalf of Ajudua.
s on Nov.20, 2004.
Bamaiyi said the money was given to her as part
payment of the legal fees requested by Afe Babalola
Chambers to represent him in his murder charge
before Justice Oyewole.
http://leadership.ng/news/432745/8-4m-fraud-afe-babalola-denies-receiving-money-from-ajudua-to-represent-bamaiyi